Archives

75 Economic Numbers From 2012 That Are Almost Too Crazy To Believe

By Michael Snyder, on December 20th, 2012

What a year 2012 has been! The mainstream media continues to tell us what a “great job” the Obama administration and the Federal Reserve are doing of managing the economy, but meanwhile things just continue to get even worse for the poor and the middle class. It is imperative that we educate the American people about the true condition of our economy and about why all of this is happening. If nothing is done, our debt problems will continue to get worse, millions of jobs will continue to leave the country, small businesses will continue to be suffocated, the middle class will continue to collapse, and poverty in the United States will continue to explode. Just “tweaking” things slightly is not going to fix our economy. We need a fundamental change in direction. Right now we are living in a bubble of debt-fueled false prosperity that allows us to continue to consume far more wealth than we produce, but when that bubble bursts we are going to experience the most painful economic “adjustment” that America has ever gone through. We need to be able to explain to our fellow Americans what is coming, why it is coming and what needs to be done. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.

The end of the year is a time when people tend to gather with family and friends more than they do during the rest of the year. Hopefully many of you will use the list below as a tool to help start some conversations about the coming economic collapse with your loved ones. Sadly, most Americans still tend to doubt that we are heading into economic oblivion. So if you have someone among your family and friends that believes that everything is going to be “just fine”, just show them these numbers. They are a good summary of the problems that the U.S. economy is currently facing.

The following are 50 economic numbers from 2012 that are almost too crazy to believe…

#1 In December 2008, 31.6 million Americans were on food stamps. Today, a new all-time record of 47.7 million Americans are on food stamps. That number has increased by more than 50 percent over the past four years, and yet the mainstream media still has the gall to insist that “things are getting better”.

#3 According to one calculation, the number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of “Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.”

#4 According to one recent survey, 55 percent of all Americans have received money from a safety net program run by the federal government at some point in their lives.

#5 For the first time ever, more than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. That number has risen by 57 percent since the 2006-2007 school year.

#6 Median household income in the U.S. has fallen for four consecutive years. Overall, it has declined by over $4000 during that time span.

#7 Families that have a head of household under the age of 30 have a poverty rate of 37 percent.

#9 In September 2009, during the depths of the last economic crisis, 58.7 percent of all working age Americans were employed. In November 2012, 58.7 percent of all working age Americans were employed. It is more then 3 years later, and we are in the exact same place.

#10 When you total up all working age Americans that do not have a job in America today, it comes to more than 100 million.

#11 According to one recent survey, 55 percent of all small business owners in America “say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment.”

#26 According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an all-time record 49 percent of all Americans live in a home where at least one person receives financial assistance from the federal government. Back in 1983, that number was less than 30 percent.

#27 Right now, more than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government. And that does not even count Social Security or Medicare. Overall, there are almost 80 different “means-tested welfare programs” that the federal government is currently running.

#28 When you account for all government transfer payments and all forms of government employment, more than half of all Americans are now at least partially financially dependent on the government.

#29 Barack Obama has been president for less than four years, and during that time the number of Americans “not in the labor force” has increased by nearly 8.5 million. Something seems really “off” about that number, because during the entire decade of the 1980s the number of Americans “not in the labor force” only rose by about 2.5 million.

#30 Electricity bills in the United States have risen faster than the overall rate of inflation for five years in a row.

#31 According to USA Today, many Americans have actually seen their water bills triple over the past 12 years.

#32 There are now 20.2 million Americans that spend more than half of their incomes on housing. That represents a 46 percent increase from 2001.

#33 Right now, approximately 25 million American adults are living with their parents.

#34 As the economy has slowed down, so has the number of marriages. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, only 51 percent of all Americans that are at least 18 years old are currently married. Back in 1960, 72 percent of all U.S. adults were married.

#35 At this point, only 24.6 percent of all jobs in the United States are good jobs.

#36 In 1999, 64.1 percent of all Americans were covered by employment-based health insurance. Today, only 55.1 percent are covered by employment-based health insurance.

#42 More than three times as many new homes were sold in the United States in 2005 as will be sold in 2012.

#43 If you can believe it, 53 percent of all Americans with a bachelor’s degree under the age of 25 were either unemployed or underemployed last year.

#44 The U.S. economy continues to trade good paying jobs for low paying jobs. 60 percent of the jobs lost during the last recession were mid-wage jobs, but 58 percent of the jobs created since then have been low wage jobs.

#45 Our trade deficit with China in 2011 was $295.5 billion. That was the largest trade deficit that one country has had with another country in the history of the planet.

#46 The United States has lost an average of approximately 50,000 manufacturing jobs a month since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

#47 According to the Economic Policy Institute, America is losing half a million jobs to China every single year.

#48 The U.S. tax code is now more than 3.8 million words long. If you took all of William Shakespeare’s works and collected them together, the entire collection would only be about 900,000 words long.

#49 According to the IMF, the global elite are holding a total of 18 trillion dollars in offshore banking havens such as the Cayman Islands.

#71 Medicare is also growing by leaps and bounds. As I wrote about recently, it is being projected that the number of Americans on Medicare will grow from 50.7 million in 2012 to 73.2 million in 2025.

#72 Thanks to our foolish politicians (including Obama), Medicare is facing unfunded liabilities of more than 38 trillion dollars over the next 75 years. That comes to approximately $328,404 for each and every household in the United States.

#73 Amazingly, the U.S. national debt is now up to 16.3 trillion dollars. When Barack Obama first took office the national debt was just 10.6 trillion dollars.

#74 During the first four years of the Obama administration, the U.S. government accumulated about as much debt as it did from the time that George Washington took office to the time that George W. Bush took office.

#75 Today, the U.S. national debt is more than 5000 times larger than it was when the Federal Reserve was originally created back in 1913.

Please share this article with as many people as you can. Time is running out, and we need to wake up as many people as possible.

About #49, what will the rich do with the 18 trillion dollars when they are worthless. They might have more, but they will be worth the same as yours and mine.

jsmith

Excellent question Mark! The suddenly poor rich will start jumping off from their penthouse balconies. So buy gold and silver like the smart richies do.

Mark

Gold and silver are ok as long as there are people willing to trade. If you are short on food, gold does not feed the body. Better to buy a small farm with water on site to grow food.

Princess

Under NDAA the government can take your small farm, water and produce.

Mark

That is not true. The government would have to make more changes in the law for that to occur. But, bit by bit they will go in that direction. NDAA is to hold you without a trial.

David

Our (US) government (US officials/ military) and corporations have broken US and international law on many occasions. On a number of occasions the law has been changed to make the illegal activity legal ex post facto, some even retroactively covering the wrong doing.

Why would you need the NDAA anyway? Remember the Supreme Court ruling on eminent domain? All you need is a corporation (could be corporate-government partnership – the line between the two is almost non-existent anyway) to simply promise that they could provide more tax dollars if they owned the property (and most other uses would fit the bill, so it wouldn’t take much convincing).

How about they find (or plant) illicit drugs on your property? They could seize it then. Right?

Maybe they just call you a terrorist. Extraordinary rendition anyone?

Lots of other possibilities exist. Why would a corrupt government worry about the law? Maybe if a significant number of people were paying attention and were willing to do something about it, they might hesitate, maybe even be stopped. Too many of us rolled over after 911, adding to a long history of power grabbing (expansion) during crisis and/or wartime. A truly independent press would be a great help, but those are very rare and usually quite small. Most of us would rather consume mindless entertainment or go shopping, and thus lend material support to many of the elements which are shredding our republic, our economy and our environment.

Mark

Why would a corrupt government worry about the law? A better question would be why would they worry about me. I live around nothing but trees. They already log the trees, so why even care where I live.They have much bigger problems than someone that just lives way out in the country at this time. Now when the government starts to relocate everyone into Agenda 21 camps everything will change.

Mondobeyondo

Uh-huh.

sharonsj

I’m more curious about where they will live and what they will eat after they’ve destroyed and polluted the Earth.

Mark

Many people will eat the same as you which might be plenty or very little. It all depends if you have prepared for hard times in your life.The earth is not destroyed and to claim such is not backed up by what is all around us. It has been damaged in some places, but most of it is still very beautiful.

davidmpark

Wow! And these are just the economic numbers. Add onto this the worldwide food reserves are down to nothing, and the fact that we’ve been legislated to ruin really makes me wish I had a large acreage by now.

Xenon

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Mondobeyondo

And a happy Hannukwanzamas to you, too

MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse

I always enjoy reading your unique comments.

Michael

RICHARD

Michael I don’t think el pollo de oro is that far off. I agree with almost everything he has to say with one exception. I believe his time frame if off a little bit. I see this happening a lot sooner than later. I don’t think we have four years left. I see things coming to a head a lot sooner maybe by the end of the year but but no later than late spring. I know all the Q Es have keep this game going but I think it has come to the end of it’s rope.

MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse

I am not saying he is off. In fact, I almost always agree with him. I was just saying that I truly enjoy his unique style of expressing things.

Michael

RICHARD

El pollo de oro is a very good writer. He expresses himself quite well. When you have a country like the USA that is use to having it all I can only amagine what it will be like when the S.H.T.F.These other countries that already are poor are used to it. WERE NOT.

El Pollo de Oro

Richard: Believe it or not, I know someone here in Philly who thinks that I’m overly optimistic when I say that in terms of financial distribution, violent crime, poverty and infrastructure, the BRA will end up like Guatemala, Honduras or Bolivia. He says, “Bolivia? That’s wishful thinking, my friend. Try Haiti or Sub-Saharan Africa.” You know someone is expecting the absolute worst when they think I’m an optimist.

K

El Pollo de Oro I think it is a mixture of your thoughts and your friends. I expect there will be areas as bad as Haiti, some more like Bolivia or even Argentina. Timeline is not so much time, but when they finish their last 2 moves. First cut off the supply of effective weapons to the common citizen. Second, deployment of large number,of drones in the US. They will not be armed at first, but that will change quite quickly. For those of you who think, that is a ways off. You have no idea, how many companies, and how many models are being produced.

El Pollo de Oro

Michael T. Snyder: Thanks! Of course, I keep hoping that I’m dead wrong in my analysis and that a major economic recovery is right around the corner. I keep hoping that Gerald Celente and other “doom specialists” are way off base. But then I look back at 2006 and 2007, when I agreed with Celente, Alex Jones and Peter Schiff that a major financial crash was coming soon and the Bushbots scoffed at their predictions. And sure enough, the crash of Sept. 2008 was as severe as they said it would be.

RICHARD

I watch the same guys, sorry thing is i don’t see them much anymore.

http://www.facebook.com/gladys.crump Gladys Crump

You are right on El Pollo and Michael…sadly you are totally correct.

Ean

I work in a ski town in Colorado. (not Aspen or one that caters to the wealthy but more of a middle class resort)You would never guess we are living in tough economic times. All the lodges are full, restaurants and bars are full, christmas shopping is amazing, and everyone wearing the nicest clothes and sporting the latest techno toys. I go back down to Denver an i am greeted with the same. I travel to other cities and i see ridiculous wealth and prosperity. Where is this economic collapse happening? I continue to be very confused and not sure why i continue to read and believe these economic turmoil sites. I feel like i want to believe it, but i dont see it. Is this just Colorado?

Mondobeyondo

No, it’s happening in Arizona as well. I don’t get it either. Literally hundreds and hundreds of starving people out there, but the parking lots for Red Lobster and Olive Garden are packed, Wealth disparity? I don’t know, could be.

Haven’t been to Prescott or Payson in awhile, but I’m sure people are hurting up there. Meanwhile, here in Phoenix, things are fine and dandy, or so you think. OR SO YOU THINK! How does that old country song go.. “Who knows what goes on behind closed doors”?

The first two were in Scottsdale, right off Frank Loyd Right, and the other family was in Phoenix, on Bell..

And what’s amazing is, there were people literally driving by in Bentley’s etc.. and didn’t so much as look at the family standing by the stop sign… We only had $5 cash on us, and so that’s what we gave them… And what’s strange is, all of the “rich” people in their nice cars, started giving us dirty looks because we gave that one family some money… UNBELIEVABLE… (Although I have had people honk at me, for “slowing” down traffic to give a homeless guy some money)… But hey, that’s Scottsdale for you!

The point is, I have never in my life seen full families (Mom, dad and kids) all begging on the corner… And I’ve seen 3 of these families within the past month, in two different cities!

Ralfine

Try going to China. Lots of begging families there. So many in fact that the government in Shanghai is rounding them up regularly, puts them in buses with wire-meshed windows and without seats and brings them far outside the city.

Day2Day

No I’ve been to 3rd world countries… I’ve seen this type of stuff first hand, it’s very sad indeed…

But, I’ve never seen this in the U.S… Especially in the heart of the richest city in the state…

And the fact that you have to compare the US to China, is proof of the path we’re headed down…

RICHARD

i was in D.C. a couple of years ago and i saw a guy reach in a trash can pull out someones drink and a half eaten sandwich and start eating it. saw it before in the far east but never like that here. It blew me away.

Mondobeyondo

I live near beautiful downtown Maryvale (for those who don’t know, it’s a rough, working-class neighborhood in west Phoenix where jobs are very hard to find) and I see it all the time.

I’ll usually try to give them a few quarters for bus fare, because I’ve been there and I know that. There have been times (July of 2012) when I had $1.35 in my pocket, and the bus system charges $1.75. So I walked the mile down to the grocery store, bought my groceries (thank you, Visa!!) and walked the mile up the road.

And yes, I’ve seen families panhandling. That is awful. Kids shouldn’t have to go through this. It’s hard enough for the adults.

Rachel

Im in Phoenix a lot and I see it too but I usually don’t give out money because I’ve seen people literally in the hundreds panhandling in downtown Austin and making a small fortune. I talked to a few while walking to work and they admitted they do it as a job…many weren’t homeless but they put on a good show. I have a hard time giving money to people that make begging a career or squander it away on booze or crack. I donate to salvation army or give them a $5 McDonalds card. There is assistance for these people…and I do feel for them but I know for a fact a lot of them have us buffaloed. Maybe not for long though with the way this is all going. Oh and for the most part you can’t count on the snottsdale people to be soulless and self absorbed.

Rachel

Sorry, i forgot to mention that was when I lived in Texas. I’d never seen so many homeless…Phoenix has indeed become worse. The bubble will break in Scottsdale and the posers who are trying to look cool while racking up credit cards have a rude awakening around the corner.

Rachel

I live in Prescott! It’s the have and have nots as well but on a much smaller scale. This is a huge retirement destination so a lot of wealthy old people live here along with gobs of wealthy California transplant left-wing Obama loving folks here too. There are many empty store fronts and the Gateway Mall (only mall) is a ghost town of what it used to be. This place was booming in 06′ and building was going on like crazy but now the construction industry has really dried up along with jobs in general. I go to Phoenix every 5-6 weeks to visit family and it depend what part you’re in. I go to scottsdale (snottsdale as it’s called aka super wealthy zip code) and the rich look like their blowing happily through mommy and daddys money or trust funds but, on the east and west sides of phoenix metro it’s a
little different. Lots of crime has taken over once nice areas of town…although I will say Sunnyslope looks to be improving. I moved to Phoenix when I was 5 years old in the 1980’s and back then it was a great place mostly….it’s so different now.

Mark

This is all based on credit. Borrowed money is keeping the economy afloat. When this will end is anyones guess. I suppose that as long as the dollar is the reserve currancy and our debt is based on dollars, this could go on for quite some time yet. I for one refuse to enter into the debt trap. I was there once and it took a long time to get out.

Ralfine

Those with the highest debt are too big to fail and are rescued by the government with taxpayers’ money.

The race is on. Make as much debt as you can.

And when the game is over, you can find full stores and pantries in any prepper household. Food, guns, ammo – whatever you want.

Mark

It all depends what you have done to aquire that debt. Did you spend it to line the control freaks pockets, if a bail out is your hope, that is what you should do.
Unless you have an army, how do you intend to steal from a prepper that will shoot back? Neighbors will band together for survival and will fend off small groups of looters. Are you so well armed that you can take out the owners of that food. Another item to think about is that a lot of the food that preppers have stored needs to be processed. Such as grinding wheat into flour and turning the flour into bread. Do you have a grain grinder that works without electricty. Will it grind the wheat fine enough to make bread or will you have a rough cracker. Most do not have the skill to do this. They will only want prepared foods as the only skill most will have is to use a can opener.

Ralfine

You see, preppers have the grain grinders, too.

And if you can enslave the prepper, you only need his skillls.

Regarding the army – it is called mob. Like in lynch mob.

You know, fortresses are valuable targets. Only after the fortress of Luxemburg was razed, there weren’t any more wars trying to occupy Luxemburg.

jox

The same happens in Spain: ski resorts and restaurants full of people. But don’t let this to mislead you. Take a city of 200.000. Say 30% are having serious difficulties. Another 50% is better, but still cannot afford high expenses. But there is another 20%, that is 40.000 people, living with the income level of 2007. Those are the people yo see in those resorts. But remind that 100.000 cannot afford the ski and another 60.000 is wandering what they are going to eat tomorrow, only that you don’t see those people.

Another example. Take a bar full of people, say 50 people. One day there are only 45 people. Will you notice the difference? Probably not. But at the end of the day the owner see the difference in money: a 10% less! As a result one waitress is fired. But you see the bar full! Perhaps this applies also to your ski town. Apparently full of people, but at the end of the day a 10% or 20% less money.

Tim

I know where you’re coming from. I live in the upstate of South Carolina, and I see the same thing. Local restaurants are very busy. I see people with very expensive automobiles shopping at the retail stores. There are some very large corporations here like Fluor, IBM, General Electric and Michelin that provide a lot of high-paying jobs, which partly explains what I see. But I also understand that much of it is a facade that is supported by debt. On the other hand, I also see a lot of poverty. It seems there are the haves and have nots.

Ralfine

Most important change needed: Most important thing people need to understand:

Children are an investment, not a cost issue.

Mark

Ralfine, your words sound nice and sweet on the surface. If we look at all of your words and past statements together they seem to convey an idea that runs through some of the gay community, that straights are the breeders to suppy children to gays so that you can raise them. I have stated that your lifestyle is your own business, but you keep going back to the children in many of your posts. What is up with this fixation on children. Face it Ralfine, the children are not yours to raise.

Ralfine

I, as a manager, get those children as workers.

And as a taxpayer I have to pay for their accomodation in jails.

Anyway, I also stated that I wanted to have a family. Anyway, I’m too old already to have own children.

If I would be malicious, I could say that you just make children like rabbits and then expect us to finance your lifestyle with our taxes???
(You asked for it)

MeMadMax

Way to dance around the subject….

Mondobeyondo

Skip to my Lou…(okay, enough of that)

Mark

No Ralfine, I would not throw them out. Just like I don;t think that you should be thrown out. I am tolerant and I have said that it is your right to live as you wish. The only general beef is that you should pick a different word other than marriage to describe your desired relationship between you and your other half.That is the word that straight people have used for our relationships for a very long time.It means a lot to us. It is part of God’s plan for us. When you try to highjack the word to mean something else, it belittles our union. As far as the topic of children goes, you were the one to ask in a prior post. if people would trust you with their children. Then you brought up the subject of condoms next to your sofa,that was over the top. When you make a statement such as that, you should recieve a little push back. Now please do us a favor and give it a rest and let’s talk about Michael’s blog topics.

Ralfine

Oh sorry, did I forget to mention that the condoms are in the cabinet besides the sofa? LOL

Why would it belittle your union with your wife, if someone else would also engage in a union? Aren’t you rather belittling their union?

Ralfine

Your children only come to me, when you didn’t do your job in raising them and they leave you.

BTW, being gay isn’t a lifestyle. It’s a variant of how god makes people. And I am not sure it is on to you to question his design and intentions.

Maybe I am your challenge to your tolerance and love.

Ralfine

Some years ago I analyzed the numbers regarding population growth published by cia dot gov in their Country Book series.

The USA had a population growth rate only comparable with the Third World. The USA were in the TOP5 or very close.

Mondobeyondo

Let’s hope 2013 will be better. Please.

Mondobeyondo

Feliz Navidad a ti tambien. No, you’re not far off the mark. Not at all.

Mondobeyondo

Seems there may be a few Aussies still among us. Guess the world hasn’t ended yet!

Berlin, you still there? You haven’t been vaporized yet?

Okay… anyway —

There will be no relief from the oncoming fiscal cliff (yes, we’re heading there, full speed ahead) without drastic changes from Congress and/or the federal government.

That’s my cue, for me to go back to sleep. If I’m still here in the next 10 hours or so, you’ll know about it. And If I’m NOT still here in the next 10 hours, you’ll know about it.

Yeah. It won’t happen.

Alasha

lol…now, now

John

While I believe most of the numbers you gave, it would be helpful if you included the original source, otherwise the people that I would tell would dismiss the facts.

Mark

Colin, I m sorry that you have problems. When we talk about so much being paid out for welfare, we are refering to the amount spent from a budgit. This includes the check sent to you plus the overhead to administer the program. We talk about the high amount of wages and pensions paid out to government employees This is why big government does not work, the cost of the overhead is way to high. This is why people that like smaller government with low taxes think that charity should come from private donations. Many of the good private charities use donated labor so that the most of the money goes to help people instead of high wages and pensions.

sharonsj

You still don’t understand. I’m 69 and my Social Security is $12,000 a year, out of which I also pay for Medicare. The people I know who are on SS or disability get even less. It’s not the total from the budget because SS is a separate program paid for by a special payroll tax. And besides, why should the poor, elderly and disabled be told they are “parasites” while mega-corporations like ExxonMobil and GE pay no Federal income tax at all?

sharonsj

And I wanted to add that the problem is not big government but that the government actually spend much more money on corporate welfare. As long as Warren Buffet pays less taxes than his secretary, I don’t want to hear about charity. Go make Walmart and Apple bring back their profits from foreign banks and foreign manufacturers. Stop privatizing war and borrowing from China to finance the American empire. Start putting American citizens first!

Mark

The amount that you pay towards medicare is peanuts compaired to the rest of the cost that the taxpayes pick up. Social Security was never meant to be your sole source of retirement income. That is why people are supposed to save during their working years for their old age.I never called you a parasite so please do not try to add words to my post. As for corporate welfare, I do not support it. Tell me how you would MAKE Walmart or any other business pay taxes on profits made in another country. That other country taxed them for what they earned in that country.If you do not like Walmart or Apple, don’t buy their products.

Mark

Sharonsj, the money the government collects for Social Security by law has to go into the General Treasury first, then they can do as they wish with the money. Go and read Helvring vs Davis from 1937. The holding states were the money has to go. In truth is is just another tax. There is no law that states that the government owes you any money for the tax paid by you or your employer.

gordiduk

Troll alert!!!

leeholsen

this quote showed me how much trouble the US is in:
“#53 One recent survey discovered that 40 percent of all Americans have $500 or less in savings.”
i’m at the other end of this spectrum and i’m worried i might not have the resources to make it thru the tough years and i expect at least 2 years of periodic food shortages, power outages and bank closings. the world is just too far in debt to recover without some real pain.
when the world can no longer keep things rolling by printing money, it’s going to be really, really bad. a lot of seniors are going to die prematurely as they dont have the ability to pay for or get medicines, a lot of women are going to be treated badly by worthless men that think the law cant catch everybody breaking it and a lot of children and disabled are going to have worse lives as money gets really tight all over.
there is not a measureable amount of disgust that i have for those that have been in elected office for the past 10 years that have been shown the projections on govt and private debt and how its going to cripple the US and they did exactly squat to prevent it.

Kim

I agree with everything you write but I’m getting tired of reading the same things over and over again. It seems like these blog posts are just the same copies and pastes over and over again.

How much should capital gains be taxed? Hedgefunds, derivatives? Gold speculation?

none

GOOD NEWS: Mickel.

I found proof of your claims that the
economy is going down hill!

If you look at the reason why they are
going to have gun confection. Then add in the fact that the government is
arming up government agencies with tons of ammo, along with assault rifles and
pistols.

Also, everyone has heard the old
saying. “They will get the keys to my house from my cold dead hand”. Since they
are going to evict people out of their houses during the winter.

Lastly what a great present, our
government is going to be able to make. Giving our guns and ammo to friendly
governments like Egypt? The Libians?
Since they might not be able to afford guns for their military either.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Ralfine

Don’t look where the guns go, look where the money goes.

If you put the spotlight only on the guns,

those with the money remain in the shadow.
(free after Mack the Knife or The Treepenny Opera)

Mondobeyondo

Follow. The. Money.
Where does the money lead to? That’s where you’re going to find the real answer(s).

James Stevens

#27-Michael, ask anybody that works in an ER about medical assistance patients. They make up more than half (I’m underestimating, I’m sure) of the patient load per day and the complaints they come in with are beyond ridiculous. They abuse the ER because their family doctors no longer have the space on their apportionment books for their weekly visits or can no longer afford to run a business on 0% reimbursement of charges. These are healthy, twenty-something individuals with no job and no drive to look for one and, obviously, nothing better to do with their time. Sore throat for 2 hours, itchy feet, dandruff, flatulence-man, I”m not kidding with you. There are folks, literally, dying in the waiting room because parasitic troglodytes are taking up space in a room a sick person needs. One patient my sister told me about had over 2000 visits to their ER. She was in her mid-twenties and started coming with her mother in her teens. A healthy individual with no chronic medical conditions and a lot of time on her hands to make up silly ailments she does not have. Multiply this by thousands and you will see the big trouble we are in.

The point is, we are paying for this. ER’s are shutting down because of the costs, poor reimbursement, and the inability to keep employees (turnover is high in many ERs). Healthcare alone is collapsing. Wait until the cuts come or the lights go out or a severe/long-term natural disaster occurs. There is no way this can go on and yet most are oblivious.

Thus says The Lord: Did you think My wrath would tarry forever?! Did you think My judgment sleeps?! Are My eyes closed to all these atrocities committed upon the earth, day and night, without ceasing?! Are My ears also stopped from hearing?!… Lo, I have seen and I have heard!

My face draws near to this earth!…

My eyes are filled with fire and fury!…

My forehead wrinkles, and is set hard against you,

O inhabitants of the earth!…

For it is time!

It is time to shake the cities of men by measure, and to bring up wrath from beneath! City by city shall be punished… One here and another there. Behold, it shall come upon them suddenly, and men shall fear, and with great perplexity shall their hearts fail!… A great trembling shall now come upon all people!…

THE TERROR OF THE LORD IS AT HAND!…

It shall come in swiftly, and you shall not know from where it shall come!

It shall come upon city after city, without warning!

For I have caused the earth to become angry. Lo, the depths of the earth tremble at My nearness, and soon this planet shall rage!… It shall rage against you, O deceitful generation! It shall devour and consume this generation!… Scouring from the earth all man has made!

The Scriptures do not lie! And My prophets speak, yet the people refuse to hear!… They will not listen. Even My own people will not believe, yet their belief is not at all required… For My will is set, and can in no wise be turned back! The truth of My Word stands! It speaks throughout the generations and echoes throughout eternity!…

For I AM THE LORD!… YaHuWaH!…I am EL Shaddai!…And I shall surely perform all I have spoken.

I shall not cease, nor relent, nor shall I be turned back from My purpose!… The kingdoms of men must die! And the evil of men must be destroyed!… All must be wiped away!

Peoples of the earth, you have hated life!

You have polluted MY garden!

DISEASED AND AWFUL GENERATION,

YOU HAVE DESTROYED THE GARDEN!…

And so I am come to cleanse! And to wipe away!…

I am come down!…

MY FACE IS VERY NEAR!

Do you feel the heat of My wrath, O ignorant and vain peoples?!… You retain no knowledge at all! Only greed and wickedness, wickedness upon wickedness, passes before your eyes without ceasing… And oh how you love to have it so!

DEAD GENERATION! Your hearts are stone!… Day after day you build up wrath, the vessels overflow! Day by day, the bodies are stacked up in heaps! Day by day, the unborn are slaughtered!… Whole generations of people murdered without cause! Multitudes of innocent cast off as refuse!… Yet you think Me too harsh, and My punishments too severe, My judgments unfair?!

I AM THE LORD, AND THIS IS MY EARTH!

THESE ARE MY CHILDREN!…

All you see, from the ground beneath your feet

To the farthest reaches of the universe, is MINE!…

And I shall do as I please!

I shall do according to the counsel of My own will…

For I am God!

Therefore, O peoples of the earth, because you have slaughtered the innocent and murdered your neighbor… Lo, you have even made for yourselves laws, that all may do their pleasure in unrighteousness and perform evil at their leisure… So then shall I also declare MY Law, and it shall fall hard upon the backs of all nations!

Yea, I have put forth the decree, and hasten to carry out your sentences, O peoples of the earth! And what is the sentence, you ask?… Look upon the slaughtered innocent, look upon their torn and broken bodies… Behold how they are torn in pieces! See how their blood pours down and their limbs are strewn about!… LOOK!!! Look how they are scraped out of their mother’s womb!… Look upon the works of your hands, you evil and most wicked generation!… LOOK UPON YOUR WICKEDNESS!!! LOOK UPON ALL YOU HAVE DONE!

THE TIME HAS COME!

Hear the WORD of the LORD spoken to THIS modern generation!

free at:

TrumpetCallofGodonline . com

Ralfine

Yeah, sure. Wasn’t yesterday the end of the world, too? Missed it. Maybe next time.

Alasha

“#1 In December 2008, 31.6 million Americans were on food stamps.
#2 …. Today, about one out of every 6.5 Americans is on food stamps.
#4 According to one recent survey, 55 percent of all Americans have received money from a safety net program run by the federal government at some point in their lives”

I say Hallelujah! What would be alternative if this assistance was not there!!!! Although, not sustainable or a finite answer, it will take it than NOT having it.. Austerity BiteS!!!

Alasha

Colin – the system sucks. Period. Please try to take it one day at a time… Be mindful and appreciative of all you have and Ask Our Heavenly Father Guidance… Pls let us/me knw if there is anything immediate you need help with. Godspeed!

(Matthew 6:25-33) “On this account I say to YOU: Stop being anxious about YOUR souls as to what YOU will eat or what YOU will drink, or about YOUR bodies as to what YOU will wear. Does not the soul mean more than food and the body than clothing? 26 Observe intently the birds of heaven, because they do not sow seed or reap or gather into storehouses; still YOUR heavenly Father feeds them. Are YOU not worth more than they are? 27 Who of YOU by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span? 28 Also, on the matter of clothing, why are YOU anxious? Take a lesson from the lilies of the field, how they are growing; they do not toil, nor do they spin; 29 but I say to YOU that not even Sol′o·mon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. 30 If, now, God thus clothes the vegetation of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much rather clothe YOU, YOU with little faith? 31 So never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ or, ‘What are we to put on?’ 32 For all these are the things the nations are eagerly pursuing. For YOUR heavenly Father knows YOU need all these things. 33 “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these [other] things will be added to YOU.

Proftel

Because, instead of invading other countries we do not invade the Caribbean tax havens?

The money is there!

hehe.

Ralfine

“#52 Experts are telling us that global food reserves have reached their lowest level in almost 40 years.”

Well, the USA is exporting cheap food. This destroys local food producers. With reduced export from the US, local food producers can start producing again. Maybe Africa they willl start producing food for Africans instead of flowers for Europeans.

Some analysts predict the rising price of corn will lead to a shortage of pork next year. Maybe that will be so, but maybe the farmers will go back to traditional farming and feed food scraps to their pigs. Maybe they will start to collect restaurant waste again, as they do in China, cook it and feed it to their pigs, just as generations of farmers before them.

Maybe there will be government regulations prohibiting this practice, but then – let the government starve or pay higher prices while the farmers enjoy their their pork chops.

Mark

It sounds good to pick up free or low cost scraps from restaurants, the problem is the cost of tranportation. Most farmers do not live close by those sources. With the new food regulations from the food safety act, they will shut you down.

Ralfine

Yes, the regulators will starve while the farmers enjoy their pork chops.

Regarding transportation – how do you think the meat comes from the farmer to the restaurant?

How many empty trucks are on the streets every day? Do you think they could rent out their space per Internet?

Mark

For beef to go to a restaurant it has to be processed in a USDA inspected plant. The meat is transported in a refrigerated truck.. The food safety rules are not simple. The government controls most things and can inspect as they wish.

Ralfine

its much simpler in china. i have seen half pigs unloaded from a truck down to the street before hanging them up in an open shop at tropical temperatures and cut to pieces by the butcher. i have seen dead pigs transported on a motorbike to the market. and chinas population is still growing, even with the one child policy.

Anonymous

Instead of your banner saying, “Are You Prepared For The Coming Economic Collapse And The Next Great Depression?” It should say, “Are You Prepared for the Lord’s Second Coming And The New Jerusalem?” I mean really, it is very good to gain knowledge for the time being, but I do not want to reside in my soul the rest of my life, but in my spirit where God is.

Mark

It is a wise man that prepares for both.

MichaelfromTheEconomicCollapse

You make a very good point.

During this time of the year it is good for people to think about where they will spend eternity.

all these numbers are quite disturbing. how can people believe MSM can keep the “economy is turning around. DJI is heading 17,000. go back to sleep.” message going? unless they are trying to pump up stock prices.

Mondobeyondo

“Americans have been well armed for several centuries, but “gun violence” is new. Why?” — Paul Craig Roberts

Well… umm…lots of culprits to blame I suppose. Video games, movies, Call of Duty, The X Factor… oh, I don’t know. Why ask me?! No, I won’t accept “because we ran out of pigeons to shoot” as an excuse.

Our society is becoming more violent, for the reasons I listed in the previous paragraph. Will it happen again? Yes.

Mondobeyondo

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Mondobeyondo

Life is hard. Take it easy.
(Yes I’m going to copyright that.)

Merry Christmas!!

Mondobeyondo

I may be just a fly on the wall — but be warned:
I’m taking notes,
Hee hee heeeee

Mondobeyondo

Foreign languages? Do I need to learn one to get hired on this planet? That’s okay, I can speak Jupiterian. Does that put me at the head of the list??

Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL),
the world’s second-largest carrier, received 22,000 applications for
about 300 flight attendant jobs in the first week after posting the
positions outside the company.

The applications arrived at a rate of two per minute, Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson told workers in a weekly recorded message. Applicants will be
interviewed in January and those hired will begin flying in June, for
the peak travel season.

“We’re hunting for foreign-language speakers as we continue to expand to all points around the globe,” Anderson said. “We are experiencing a phenomenal response to the job posting.”

Delta’s applicant rush reflects the demand for jobs
amid a 7.9 percent U.S. unemployment rate and the interest in an
industry where flight privileges are a prized employee benefit. The
Atlanta-based carrier received 100,000 applications for 1,000 jobs when
it last hired flight attendants in October 2010.

While Anderson put the number of positions in the latest round of hiring at about 300, Betsy Talton, a spokeswoman, said it could reach 400. As many as 30 percent will
speak languages including Japanese, Hindi, Mandarin and Portuguese, she
said.

Orange Jean

El Pollo,
I agree with you! Oddly enough, I could see we were going down this path (and would say so, but only to selected people)… as far back as the mid-70s, when I was liberal (not any more) and I would say this to one of my most liberal friends (and oddly enough, the she agreed with me and reminds me of that even to this day).

Maybe it takes some experience living in a 3rd world country (not my experience), or if only living in the US… having experienced real poverty to see it. Been there, done that… and it ain’t a whole lot of fun.

Don’t know I have any answers either, but it is such a sad thing to see the deterioration of this country. Prep when you can, hold on to your hat otherwise. Love who you can and stay as close to your family as possible (I know for some of us, that’s not a good thing… if you come from an abusive family. If that’s the case, find substitute family instead).

Merry Christmas and best wishes to you all too!
~Orange Jean

El Pollo de Oro

Orange Jean: Here in Philly, people of different political stripes have often said to me, “You claim the US has been turning into a Third World economy. Have you ever even BEEN to a Third World country?” And I respond, “Yes, I’ve been to both Latin America and North Africa. I was born in raised in the U.S. and have seen big chunks of Western Europe. I’ve seen first hand the difference between countries that have a robust middle class and countries that have little or no middle class, and with globalism turning the American middle class into the neo-poor just as Ross Perot said it would, anyone who claims that we’re aren’t turning into a Third World economy is in serious denial.” But in a sense, I can understand why some people are in denial. The truth hurts. They hear about all the crime and instability in banana republics and don’t like to think that eventually, you’re going to see brutal kidnappings in Rittenhouse Square (the priciest part of Philadelphia) and Georgetown in Washington, DC just as you see them in Bogotá or Lima. Michael T. Snyder once asked why some folks resent preppers so deeply, and my response is that it’s easier to hate the messenger than deal with the ugly truth. In the words of Bette Davis, “fasten your seatbelts—it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

Buon natale e felice anno nuovo!

Mondobeyondo

There have been times, umm rather recently, when I literally had to wash my clothes in the bathtub, because the washing machine was broken. (Yes, that’s 100 percent true.). Drying was no problem – just put them on the clothesline outdoors.

Thought I’d call the Maytag repairman, just to give him something to do. But he wouldn’t come out to repair it, because it’s a Whirlpool washer.

cannuck21

A superb article as always Michael. I suspect that Presidents Putin and Hu Jintao along with their respective Politbreau‘s are planning to raise a glass in celebration of another excellent year in the demise of the EU & USA. Kleptocracy & Malfeasance abound in the West.

One could be forgiven for suspecting that they played no little part in contributing to this demise. Let’s hope that all is not lost and 2013 can be a turning point – but common sense dictates otherwise. A plague on both their houses.

Mondobeyondo

“There are two Americas today. One is swimming in money and is seemingly more prosperous than ever. The other America is a complete and total economic nightmare.”

Just like 1929!

kidcat24

Wow, and the eleven years of tax cuts to the wealthy were supposed to bring good paying jobs.

gordiduk

Troll alert…

http://www.facebook.com/people/Dani-Hale/1542724034 Dani Hale

Do you still believe in trickle down? I’m sure all this could be solved by giving the rest of our money to the “job creators”. I don’t blame the current administration for the problems created in the last 30 years. I blame those who have been in congress during that time, they have not been serving their public’s interest.

FarmerJack

It is hard for me to take any seriously when they write “Bush Sr. and Bush Jr.”

One is George HW Bush, and the other is George W Bush….not junior. Figure it out.

David A. Laibow

I see an economic cycle lasting 100 years, beginning in 2000 AD, beginning with a downturn in North America and Western Europe, with a flood of investment capital into Asia and South America right now. The bottom will come approximately 2050 in Asia and South America, with a return to relative prosperity in North America (but not Western Europe, where Shiite Islam will effectively replace Catholic and Protestant Christianity). History has up and down cycles, and for North America and Western Europe, this is part of the down cycle. Either live with it where you are or move to Asia (I live in the Philippines, but I came here before the bad stuff started.

David A. Laibow

In early 2010, the U.S. Treasury Dept. gave itself the authority to confiscate your financial assets, in exchange for 3% Treasury Bonds which can be rendered valueless (unless you have connections to the Democratic Party); in mid-2012, the Obama White House issued an Executive Order giving the Executive Branch the authority to seize any American corporation, for-profit or non-profit, large or small, from Boeing and Wal-Mart down to the food cart at the curb. You might be affected by this, but I am NOT. In an economic downturn, the powerful steal the property of the less powerful. I’m protected, but you probably aren’t. Tough for you.

Dave Wilbur

USA = Unhappy Slaves of America

IGNORE Obama, focus on his bosses the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. It is common knowledge that they answer to no one! Obama is their servant! Focus on them!